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The name lay waiting, until he was born and all his life, Abdus Salam wore it as a mantle. Almost nine decades ago, Mohammad Hussain, a school teacher in Jhang, had a dream that his unborn son would go on to do great things and serve God. In gratitude, he decided to name this child Abdus Salam – the servant of peace.

The choice was inspired, for Abdus Salam was truly a messenger of peace and unity wherever he went. He was able to see the deep, underlying similarity between apparently disparate forces of nature, just as clearly as he could see through the layers of political and religious dogma, to the common bonds of humanity that unite us all.

In his 70 years on this planet, Salam worked tirelessly to reveal beautiful hidden structures – both mathematical and social – and bring together theories and people who were needlessly reft apart.

He credited this attitude to his faith, and said his emphasis on symmetry was something he had inherited from the culture of his religion. “The belief in unity, in there being one simple cause for [all] that we see, has a basis in my spiritual background,” he said.

Abdus Salam was born, on 29 January 1926, into a family of modest financial means, where education was valued highly. His parents encouraged, and delighted in the young boy’s curiosity, and in that sparse but supportive atmosphere, Salam began to blossom.

In his later years, he used to tell a story about when he was five and so engrossed in reading a book that he did not notice the cat running away with his dinner. That intense focus stayed with him throughout his life, as did his lively curiosity.

Salam had an active, wondering mind, always brimming over with ideas. He kept track of these through notes scribbled on whatever he could find – from envelopes to scraps of paper, to the backs of posters. No ‘writable’ surface was safe.

His son tells an amusing story about the time Abdus Salam had lunch at the Buckingham Palace with the Queen and Prince Philip. After all the guests had left the table, Salam went back and asked if he could take his napkin – he had written some notes on it.

Abdus Salam was a truly cultured man and extremely well spoken. He read widely – spanning the spectrum from Islamic history to P.G. Wodehouse. Salam was a man of many interests. He was able to enjoy the beauty of Punjabi poetry, as well as the comic antics of the Marx brothers.

Although he lived away from Pakistan for well over half his life, no one could mistake Abdus Salam’s roots. Tied up forever in our memories of him is the indelible image of a turbaned man in an achkan and curling khussas, receiving the Nobel Prize.

A citizen of the world, at ease with people of all cultures and persuasions, he remained proudly Pakistani to the end of his days, and was – despite governmental attempts at disowning him – perhaps the best ambassador the country has ever had.

A journalist once asked Salam how he felt about the fact that his extraordinary accomplishments had now branded Jhang as the birthplace of one of the greatest scientific minds of the century, whereas previously the only claim to fame this small village had, was due to the folktale of Heer Ranjha. With wit and humility, Salam answered;

There are over 325 Nobel laureates in the world, but only one Heer.

Salam was firmly committed to the cause of science in Pakistan, and he worked tirelessly to increase the exposure of, and create a better intellectual environment for, Pakistani scientists.

He played a critical role in establishing Pakistan’s Atomic Energy and Space Research agencies PAEC and SUPARCO, and even initiated an annual physics conference in the hills of Nathia Gali, to which he attracted many international luminaries.

Salam was the beloved mentor for an entire generation of Pakistani students, some of whom (most notably the twin brothers Riazuddin and Fayyazuddin) become physicists of international repute in their own rights.

But while Salam’s nationalistic zeal brought out his generosity and spirit of service, it did not limit his outlook. One of his most famous students was the Israeli physicist Yuval Ne’eman, who pursued a PhD under Salam’s supervision while serving as Israel’s Defense Attache in the UK.

Where others might have seen this as a source of conflict, given the prevailing tensions between Israel and Pakistan, Salam viewed neither political nor religious differences as boundaries. Although a devout believer in his own faith, he did not feel the need to either apologise or proselytise - a quality that is becoming increasingly rare in Pakistan.

Salam’s motivations for working on the Electroweak theory might have had their origins in faith, but his collaborator on this work – Steven Weinberg – is an avowed atheist. The two not only worked together to produce a Nobel Prize winning theory, they also maintained a lifelong respect and affection for each other.

There is no doubt in my mind that Abdus Salam would not have realised even a fraction of his potential, had he been unable to see across apparent – but artificial – boundaries.

Today, in a Pakistan that is increasingly divided, along religious, ethnic and political lines, I think we would do well to look on Salam’s life as a lesson: our hearts and minds shrink or expand to fill the spaces that are available to them; the more fences we erect, the narrower the lives we confine ourselves to; should we elect to break down walls instead, a vast, exciting world of possibility lies open, with room for each of us to live up to our potential.

On DawnNews

Comments (82) Closed

Here he is - again. For the first time in 2014 and definitely not the last time.

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AAHmed

Jan 29, 2014 07:50pm

Great and informative. May he always rest in peace.

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Masood Hussain

Jan 29, 2014 08:23pm

Abdus Salam is greater than many greats. He is a true Pakistani.

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Babar Khan

Jan 29, 2014 08:31pm

I am not too familiar with the local politics of Punjab, but is it true that the location that once produced this great man, now produces nutjobs like the LEJ ?

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Muhammad Saleem Usmani

Jan 29, 2014 08:41pm

Beautifully written. He was a true son of the soil. Its a pity that we tried to disown him.

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Goga Nalaik

Jan 29, 2014 08:53pm

A great and well deserved homage to our national hero Dr Abdus Salam.

The author, Mrs Tasneem Zehra Hussain is also a well known name in the world of Physics.

Thank you Madam for this superb article

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aleem

Jan 29, 2014 09:10pm

Very thoughtful, nicely written piece.

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Crimson

Jan 29, 2014 09:30pm

Rest in Peace, Dr Salam.
I wish we wouldn't be so appallingly cruel to Dr. Salam. I wish we were able to show some gratitude.

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M. Asghar

Jan 29, 2014 09:45pm

Yes, he with others went into digging out the UNITY of nature that ties back the apparent different natures forces; EM, Weak and Strong, of Nature. Now, one wishes him all the peace back in this unity of Nature.

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Imran

Jan 29, 2014 09:46pm

Great man. Really proud of him. He was too good for this thankless country.

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SBB

Jan 29, 2014 10:09pm

Wonderful Tribute to Mr. Salam... thank you. And yes, there was only one Heer. Great answer.

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Pardesi

Jan 29, 2014 10:18pm

What ever good is left in Pakistan will be torn apart by the so called religious parties. The connecting thread we always had between neighbours, tolerance and respect is already being torn away through the demonstration of intolerance in every aspect of our life.

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Syed Rizvi

Jan 29, 2014 10:26pm

I wish if we could have at least ONE more noble prize winner in the coming years.
A Pakistani dream.

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Abdul Gaffar

Jan 29, 2014 10:38pm

You should have said a word or two about how he was reviled by the establishment and rejected by the masses because of his being a Quadiani.

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WALI MUHAMMAD PIRZADA

Jan 29, 2014 10:40pm

a country where more people know and idealize Mumtaz Qadri than Dr. Salam, that country deserves to be in the pathetic state where it is and heading for worse. kowtows to knowledge not to religious bigotry.

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Usman Noor

Jan 29, 2014 10:57pm

A great person, this is what we need to aspire to. STEM superiority is the key to our future (Inshallah) success.

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Khalid

Jan 29, 2014 11:04pm

A "Great Pakistani" I hope many more like him come through and shine the name of Pakistan.

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Blake Evans

Jan 29, 2014 11:29pm

A beautiful piece of writing and a fitting tribute to a great man. Quite appropriate that a young Pakistani woman physicist authored this piece. Clearly, Salam's legacy continues...

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skeptic

Jan 29, 2014 11:54pm

A rare gem of our nation who was never truly appreciated by us.Sad

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sophie

Jan 29, 2014 11:55pm

"There are over 325 Nobel laureates in the world, but only one Heer." Best line I heard today and will keep in my memory forever <3

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avinash

Jan 30, 2014 12:06am

Salute to heer of Science from Pakistan.
Greatest respect, greatest inspiration to all of us.

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correction

Jan 30, 2014 12:26am

"Salam

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Agha Ata

Jan 30, 2014 12:54am

We are glorifying him after his death, but we hurt his feelings and wounded his heart brutally when he was alive. We humiliated him by refusing to let him live with his faith. The very faith that showed him the way to become what he became, by putting impossible restrictions on his thoughts and mind, we executed his soul.

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Ashish

Jan 30, 2014 01:12am

As an Indian, a.k.a. believer in humanity, I salute Dr. Salam.

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Kev

Jan 30, 2014 01:27am

Great Story.......what Pakistan lacks today are those great visionaries who were instrumental in the creation of Pakistan.

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Faraz

Jan 30, 2014 01:29am

Happy Birthday...Pakistan did not deserve you

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Mohammad Adam Khan

Jan 30, 2014 01:32am

The gravity of our circled and narrowly approach is more intense than the gravity of black hole. May light can be able to escape from black hole one day, but here I have no hope, unless some other nebula spin and give birth to new approach.
I salute to Dr, Abdus Salam. You know scientists and other people like them are very close to prophets, yet again we been killed an another one .

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Masud Kader

Jan 30, 2014 01:51am

He was a genius to be revered at all times.

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Sohail Aslam

Jan 30, 2014 01:54am

I thank Tasneem Zehra Husain for writing such a touching tribute to the great Dr. Abdus Salam and Dawn for unapologetically publishing it on the 88th birth anniversary of the greatest physicist this country has evern seen.

In an increasingly chaotic and divided Pakistan, one wonders when our massess will emerge from their current state of slumber infused by religious and political dogma. When are we going to have the courage to use our own understanding without the guidance of a clergy that sees everything through the tainted lens of its own religious interpretation? It is this pressure from such a clergy that has resulted in all kinds of attempts at disowning him as a national hero.

Dr. Abdus Salam's achievements need to be celebrated and his significant dates observed at a national level by both the popular media and government institutions. We don't think twice before observing national days and holidays for political figures, it is only fair that such a celebrated physicist and academic be given the same, if not more, recognition.

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Naeem

Jan 30, 2014 02:46am

Dr. Abdus Salam was a great man. It is sad that we did not give him the respect he deserved because of our narrow mindedness.

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Sam

Jan 30, 2014 02:53am

Given a small community of highly motivated and curious minds, we as Pakistanis should do every effort to not only remember but learn from those who represent everything that is wonderful about our country. Thank you Dr Hussein, for this amazing piece, describing one of the brilliant minds of 21st century, and his work in a socio-political fabric of his surroundings.

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Hakim

Jan 30, 2014 03:06am

Thanks Tasneem for reminding us of the genius our country produced but may be mostly unknown to the youth.

What a humble man. We need a few more geniuses like that in Pakistan.

A very well articulated text. Keep it up.

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Addy

Jan 30, 2014 04:11am

"Although a devout believer in his own faith..........". Nah, didn't happen. A genius of his caliber would be beyond all that.

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L Ahmad

Jan 30, 2014 04:11am

Salam was a great man on the world stage but his own country did not acknowledge his talent & work. There is no street, park or building in Pakistan bearing his name. I call it bigotry at its best.

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Observer

Jan 30, 2014 04:12am

A beautifully written piece on a great physicist and an honorable human being. One written by a Pakistani woman who is a string theorist to boot! God bless you Tasneem Zehra Husain, more power to your hand.

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Nasir

Jan 30, 2014 04:24am

Tasneem, you have written a well researched article on the 88th birth anniversary of Dr. Abdus Salam. You have rightly pointed out two facts which today Pakistan is in desparate need. First, religious, ethnic, cultural diversity and secondly, tolerance for others. I am sure after reading your article many will knowingly put diversity and tolerance to hell and a new wave of extremisim will emerge against the community Dr. Salam belonged. Let's hope sanity will prevail (I know it is my wishful thinking), but where there is injustice there is prejudice.

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Rizwan

Jan 30, 2014 05:08am

A great man a great scientist. As a Pakistani we should be proud of him.
Pakistan should give him due respect.

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safeer

Jan 30, 2014 05:35am

Brilliant, Lets keep alive our Heroes. :-)

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aw

Jan 30, 2014 06:03am

One of the best persons Pakistan has ever produced,during my college days (5+ years ago), he picture was hanging in our math lab and I was just amazed by it and told my professor that I belong to the same country as this man...awesome..dr abdus salam!

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ab.sahafi@gmail.com

Jan 30, 2014 06:22am

Respected Miss Tasneem I have read your article and unfortunately could not find any good thing that can be lessoned from the life of Mr. Abdus Salam. If you could highlight the efforts of our scientist for pakistan then it may be a good lesson for us. however, you have not highlighted any of his efforts because he has done nothing for pakistan. however, I know he has cursed the pakistan in written to Mr Zulfiqaar Ali Bhutto. which is available in literature might go through your wide reading scope. Arranging a conference is not a achievement to get lesson from his life. To get lesson we have still bigger personalities like Quaid-e-Azam, Allam Iqbaal, Liaquat Ali Khan, and so on. who have served and think for the country with heart and soul and have clear and firm ideas. for your knowledge you should read literature about Dr. Abdus Salam then highlight his efforts for the prosperous pakiatan. inshaALLAh we will also follow his life if we succeed to find any lesson from his life. you know better that noble prize is totally political not on merit based. like Barak Obama has received noble prize for peace. if barak obama can get noble prize for peace, similarly Mr. Abdus Salam can also get noble prize. up to now, public donot know his theory on which he received the noble prize. also, you have not highlighted the basic of his theory. so please dont confuse yourself and the nation by writing such kind of illusive articles. the DAWN newspaper is also held responsible by publishing such an article which is against the constitutional code. they cannot get them free by just writing that "The views expressed by this blogger and in the following reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group".
May some one do good for my beloved country. not just confuse the nation.

Good article. While I agree to the point that Dr. Abdus Salam was a great scientist. The boundary in case of Dr. Salam about which the respected author is using the word "artificial" is NOT artificial. Not to say much, that boundary is a part of constitution of Pakistan. So is the constitution of Pakistan also artificial?

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Sandeep Nigam

Jan 30, 2014 11:37am

The difference between Pakistan and India is :

Abdus Salam ,First Pakistani Nobel Prize winner was disowned.

While in India, A fishermans son named Abdul Kalam was made Preisdent.

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athar

Jan 30, 2014 11:40am

Thank you for telling us about our real heroes

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Faiz Ahmed

Jan 30, 2014 12:15pm

A beautiful mind Abdus Salam......sadly in this land of not so pure people like abdus salam don't get recognition but fear not abdus salam you will always be remembered as one of the best........May allah grant you highest place in Jannah for your contribution to humanity

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Naveed Khan

Jan 30, 2014 12:49pm

Abdus Salam is a national hero of Pakistan. One day he will be recognized. One day there will be institutions of research named after him. One day there will be a University named after and a library at national level dedicated to Salam. One day there will be thousands of children given Abdus Salam scholarship and one day Pakistan will have thousands of Abdus Salam's. I send my Salam to Abdus Salam, you make me honored as a Pakistani.

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RAKESH RAZDAN

Jan 30, 2014 12:55pm

Dr. Abdus Salam are born one in millions. I hate to know that he was born in Pakistan and not India. If given a choice, we would have loved to exchange millions of people against one him.

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P.R.Koduri

Jan 30, 2014 01:06pm

Beautifully written. The Author has rightly ignored the shabby way the government of Pakistan had behaved in its treatment of this Giant of a Man.

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dharmendra Goel

Jan 30, 2014 01:26pm

I am very impressed by this very dedicated mathematician who also loved Punjabi Heer.
He has gone into the folk-lore of pakistan,the only Nobel Laureate of Pakistan.
Let his great love for the poor have appeal to other great scientists of Pakistan.

D. Goel Panchkula, India, January 30, 2014

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syed

Jan 30, 2014 03:57pm

Pakistanis were never able to see him beyond his faith, and not what he has achieved. Roads and streets are named after him in Europe but all He got in Pakistan was defacing of his grave and no highest recognition whatsoever, it is long overdue. Kuch sharam karo yaar !!!

We also don't find name of Chaudry Zafrullah Khan in school books no more cause of the same reason above. Sorry to say Pakistan is really behind on education that creates a culture where people are honoured for their achievements rather than their faith.

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Iqbal Yasin

Jan 30, 2014 04:33pm

Amazing how a spicy blog on Veena Malik or anything to do with sexuality would get hundreds of comments below, while we as a nation have a shortage of people appreciating and commenting about our greatest scientist. We then have nobody else to blame for the mess we are in in this country. We are a scared nation.

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Tasneem Zehra Husain

Jan 30, 2014 05:28pm

@correction:

Thank you for pointing that out; you're right, it was a bad choice of words. Colleague would have been more appropriate in this case.

On another note, while it is true that Salam and Weinberg worked on the electroweak theory independently, I think they planted the seed together in 1962 when they co-authored a paper, along with Goldstone, about the appearance of massless bosons in theories where continuous symmetries are spontaneously broken. That is what I had in mind when I referred to them as collaborators, but I should have been more precise.

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TAM

Jan 30, 2014 05:52pm

@Downthelegside:

Don't sulk, he was a great person.

If 10-20,000 followers of a banned terrorist party can attend a gathering in Muzzafarabad (Pakistan) and still be reported in the national newspapers and media without hesitation of disbelief or outrage, why not celebrate a great and gentle scientist's birthday. Just bear it up, the world is not coming to an end.

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Faizan

Jan 30, 2014 06:55pm

Brilliantly written Tansneem.

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faiza

Jan 30, 2014 06:59pm

u shud have mentioned here how people of pakistan ridiculed him when his body brought back no one was there to pay respect to him after competing his education whn he came back wat people did to him becoz of his beliefs people here are pathetic n rigid here every millitant is hero n evey peaceful person is target

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Ram

Jan 30, 2014 08:04pm

A belief in unity comes from belief in humanity, if you stop listening to media or politicians and take a look around you where ever you are in the sub continent you will find our culture language people changes every 50 miles radius, Indian sub continent is 5000 years old and home to hundreds of languages, culture,food, clothing and religion, However pakistan always tried but failed to use religion as one brush to paint entire pakistan, pakistan never seems to learn from its past mistake that religion should not used in state affairs. It is really sad that even educated Pakistanis are also blind followers of their manipulative leaders.

The word secular send chill to spines of Pakistan leaders as they fear this will only improve relationship with their neighbors.

Again where is a fear there is no belief,

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sara

Jan 30, 2014 08:21pm

@ab.sahafi@gmail.com:
People like you who donot do any research should not be commenting. We have only few things to be proud of and he is one of them mashAllah.

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graham

Jan 30, 2014 08:32pm

@syed:
''Pakistanis were never able to see him beyond his faith,''.. This is not a Pakistani problem, this is a problem of Muslims in general all over the world. No wonder, Muslims did not go very far in science and technology.

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graham

Jan 30, 2014 08:50pm

@L Ahmad:

Bigotry is a Pakistani disease.

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graham

Jan 30, 2014 08:52pm

@Sandeep Nigam:

I thought the ex President's father was a boatman. It does not however belittle the fact he raised his son properly. It speaks well for the Indians his religion did not come in the way of being the president of the country.

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Omar

Jan 31, 2014 12:58am

Its so sad that a highly educated, morally correct and genuinely patriotic man was run out of his homeland due to his religious beliefs. I know how he felt, I feel the same yearning. I want to return to my country help build a future for my people.
But NOT if you infringe on my freedom, and NOT if you threaten the safety of my family.
Repeal the discriminatory laws against minorities trumped up by the corrupt and by the evil.
Don't just hit that like button and feel you have made a change. Stand up for what's right, shout louder than the haters! Save your country.

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asrez

Jan 31, 2014 07:18am

An article to be read by our younger generation. Well done

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Moby Moby

Jan 31, 2014 10:28am

@Muhammad Bilal:
Of course the constitution is artificial, I doubt it is natural and organic.

@ab.sahafi@gmail.com:
Unconstitutional, really? How come?
Nobel prizes in science are not the same as a Nobel peace prize. He was awarded the highest scientific award for his excellent contribution to the field of Physics. That is a matter of pride for Pakistan, as he was a Pakistani.

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Adnan

Jan 31, 2014 04:31pm

@Sandeep Nigam:
yeah yeah .... just a catchy phrase! ... You took an example and put a general! Don't act deluded like the India media in general.

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hnmirza

Feb 01, 2014 12:18pm

@ab.sahafi@gmail.com:
Sir, your disjointed letter seems to reflect your overall knowledge about this matter. Dr Abdus Salaam had wanted to donate his entire Nobel ( and NOT noble !) prize money towards setting up a scientific research center in Pakistan. Unfortunately due to his religious beliefs he was not entertained at all, and he finally reluctantly set up the same institute in Europe. God only knows how many people would have benefited from such a high class institute. Furthermore while Nobel peace prizes are affected by political considerations, it is certainly not so for those given for scientific achievement. Please do not belittle this remarkable achievement by Dr Abdus Salaam and maintain your fairness and objectivity.

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Aziz Ahmad

Feb 01, 2014 11:23pm

I clearly remember the day when Dr. Salam,s funeral prayer was offered in the town of Rabwah in district Jhang. I remember the feelings of people and the respect they paid to him, but only a small community they were. The fanatics and enemies of knowledge and truth even defaced his grave on official orders and the defaced wordings was the KALIMA,.... Oh my GOD... they didn,t spare your soul from their torture, poor Dr. Salam... we are sorry

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Khan

Feb 01, 2014 11:47pm

Very nicely written, and Abdus Salam is a true Pakistani hero(maybe the only?) for young scientists like myself!
@ab.sahafi@gmail.com: You really have no idea what you are talking about. Abdus Salam began numerous scientific programs in Pakistan when there was no science at all, such as the Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, and began recruiting and training programs which produced many of the top scientists directly under him. He also wanted to start a Physics institute in Pakistan but the govt was only interested in funding "nuclear programs" so instead he made the ICTP in Italy which is one the leading physics institutes in the world now, and provides funding for scientists from developing nations like Pakistan to visit for training. He has written many articles (you can find them online) about how to advance science in the developing world.
As for his "scientific theory", you probably cant name one scientific theory after 1905 that you know about. The science nobel prize is different from the peace prize because it is determined, among other things, by how many people use your work and so is directly related to the advancement of new ideas.

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kasar

Sep 23, 2017 07:34pm

Despite my best effort i could not find any notable scientific research institition that he established with in Pakistan with a meaningful achievement, nor there is any evidence available about his contribution to Pakistan's nuclear programme or any achievement in this regard.

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rathorew

Sep 23, 2017 09:30pm

Thank you for a wonderfully written article on a wonderful life.

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Agha Ata

Sep 23, 2017 11:02pm

We have no right to talk about him. The only thing we can do is to keep quiet and feel ashamed.

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Onecaring

Sep 23, 2017 11:29pm

We usually disown our heroes. Look what we are doing to Malala.

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TQ

Sep 24, 2017 01:09am

Beautiful article.

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Mohammed Khan

Sep 24, 2017 08:19am

Very well written. I wish if someone can explain Prof Abdus Salam Noble Prize winning theory for a common man.

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Sarai alamgir

Sep 24, 2017 12:48pm

Regardkess of his background, he was a great Pakistani.

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Abdul Haseeb

Sep 24, 2017 08:08pm

Thanks to the writer for highlighting a short biography of a great scientist of the world. Salaam, the pride of Pakistan.

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Muhammad Umar

Sep 24, 2017 08:48pm

Nice and informative

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Qazi

Oct 02, 2017 01:27am

Respect for sir will remain in the hearts of my nation. Just want to mention that this blog is not enough to tell the world that Pakistani Nation betrayed him. Atlast we are having that much capability and faith to born up such minds in the future(message for the master mind) God bless my country and Islam Amin